Lunar: Black Star Rising
by Chemiclord
Summary: After Zophar's defeat at the hands of Lunar 2's heroes, the dark god makes one last attempt to obliterate humankind.  Without Althena's help, can the heroes manage to thwart Zophar one final time?
1. Screaming Fire

****

Lunar: Black Star Rising

By Thomas Knapp 

**__**

Chapter One

This was becoming a disturbingly recurring theme. Althena's little humans were stronger and more resourceful than probably even SHE realized. As his dark spirit began to diffuse into the swirling nether from which he was born, he gathered all the remnants of his power, and focused on his last task. He had meant what he had said to Hiro and Lucia.

If he could not control the Blue Star and Lunar, he would destroy them…

__

Gwyn's Tower…

"Okay, old man… why the hell have you called me here, and at this hour?" Lemina muttered sleepily. Anyone else, who had sent Ruby with an urgent message to come at the time the little red dragon did, she probably would have throttled. As it was, the current premier of Vane was entertaining such thoughts, and it was only respect for Gwyn's grandson that kept Lemina from turning the whole damn tower into Lunar's largest bonfire.

"I called you here because of all the people on Lunar, you are probably the only one who has studied enough to understand what I am going to say. Come up with me to the roof, and I'll show you what I'm talking about." With that, Lemina began to follow the elderly man up the rickety stairs of his home.

The first thing she noticed upon reaching the roof was that Gywn's giant telescope that he had built shortly after Hiro left for the Blue Star was pointed not at the Dragon Tower, which it normally was, and instead was focused upward, into the pre-dawn sky.

Gwyn chortled excitedly, then finally managed to blurt, "Well, a couple of things, to be precise. I've taken up pointing my telescope at the Blue Star ever since my grandson packed up and scuttled off to be with that girl of his." He adjusted the telescope so that it was pointing directly at the planet in the sky. "Take a look and see."

Lemina complied sleepily, and the sight before her was NEARLY enough to startle her to full alertness. The frosty surface of the planet bore a striking mark invisible to the eye without the help of the telescope; a patch of green, barely viewable through the cloud cover, stood out like a small blemish on the Blue Star's surface.

"Incredible, huh?" Gwyn mused, "No doubt Lucia and Hiro have managed to somehow speed up the Blue Star's recovery. But that, if you can believe it, is not my big surprise." 

He nudged Lemina out of the way, and looking into the telescope began to adjust the large object, all the while explaining, "This little peculiarity I have been following for some time. At first I didn't know what to make of it, but now I think I know the answer."

Finally, Gwyn stepped aside, and allowed Lemina to gaze into the eyepiece. Her vision was filled with the edge of the Blue Star, but the telescope didn't seem to be centered on anything specific. "What am I supposed to be looking at?" She asked impatiently.

"Any moment now." Gwyn answered, "Watch the stars just off the horizon of the Blue Star."

Now curious, Lemina complied. After at least another minute of inactivity, she noticed one bright star, barely visible through the hazy reflection of the Blue Star, suddenly stop shining, much longer than what could be attributed to a mere flicker. Soon, other stars began to join the first, as if the hand of Althena herself had slipped in between the telescope and the stars in question.

"What is going on here, Gwyn?" Lemina asked, somewhat awestruck, as there was still no sign that the stars that had disappeared would be shining anytime soon.

"Every day during the summer months this year, this same phenomena has happened. It reached it's greatest height off from the Blue Star's horizon right on the day that sunlight is the longest, and it only appears off the horizon just as my side of Lunar begins the day."

"Meaning?"

"The Blue Star has another satellite like Lunar."

"WHAT? How can that be?" Lemina exclaimed, "Nowhere does it mention that the Blue Star has two moons. I mean, according to Lucia, people could see Lunar clearly from the surface of the Blue Star! Why would we only be able to tell that this one was there by watching what it blocks from view?"

"I can't begin to fathom." Gwyn replied, "There could be a multitude of reasons, but the behavior that this Black Star displays is consistent to what I theorized a satellite would do."

"The Black Star, huh?" Lemina smiled wryly, "You've already given it a name?"

Gwyn flushed, "As I said, I've been watching it for some time. The fact that it's movement seems so dependant on the Blue Star's position was the final bit of evidence I needed to reach my conclusion."

"Okay… so what is the point?" Lemina finally queried.

"Well, probably nothing, but what it implies could be important. If this object, this second moon of the Blue Star exists, then what else is out there that we do not know about?"

Lemina started to chuckle, but as she prepared to rain on Gwyn's parade, the sky behind her suddenly lit up with a glorious burst. Whirling around, she saw a giant ball of flame streak overhead, followed by a deafening boom that rocked her eardrums as it thundered by. The air from its passing was so disrupted that it generated a gust of wind that nearly knocked Lemina off her feet, and sent Gwyn crashing into the railing. Seconds later, it smashed into Lunar's surface several kilometers away, causing the earth to tremble from the impact, and caused Gwyn to lose his balance, nearly falling over the railing before Lemina managed to reel him back onto relatively stable ground.

When Lunar's bellow finally subsided, the pair looked at each other warily. No words were needed to exchange, as they both had the same idea in mind. Rushing back down the staircase as fast as safety allowed, they prepared for a hike to where the mysterious fireball had crashed.

__

Gypsy Camp, outside Nota…

'That is enough for me.' Jean decided as she took her weary body off the dancing floor, much to the dismay of her fellow gypsies. She shook her head as they begged for an encore, and finally managed to say breathlessly, "Listen… it's almost MORNING, I need to cool off, then I'm getting some sleep!"

With that, she headed off into a side clearing, fanning herself with her dancing fan. Even the crisp pre-dawn air wasn't enough to quickly chill the dancer, and so she sat down on a small fallen log, taking in deep breaths of air, closing her eyes as she fought not to fall asleep right there.

Thus, she heard whatever it was before she saw it. By the time she had opened her eyes, the object had nearly passed by, and all she could see were four glowing streams of flame spouting beneath the object.

Obviously, the rest of the camp had seen it too because their were various shouts of amazement, wonder, and even fear. Suddenly, the object appeared to stop just beyond the forest, and slowly began to descend to the ground.

After several minutes, Jean couldn't reign her curiosity any longer, and began to weave her way through the forest. Finally, she parted the last line of underbrush, and then nearly gasped at the sight.

It was a stocky mess of wires and tubes, all connected to a black conical center. Small devices, sort of like feet kept the central piece off the ground, and she gazed at the flames on the underside of the object died away until all that was left was an eerie orange glow.

There was silence for a short period before Jean decided to leave the cover of the brush, and approach the strange object cautiously. However, the heat that the object was radiating caused her to draw short. Soon, the strange mechanism began to cool, and Jean began to approach again, this time however she stopped when the panel right in front of her suddenly blew away from the object, landing mere centimeters from her feet. Looking back up, she saw a small set of steps appear at the foot of where the opening had just appeared…


	2. Pale Visitors

****

Lunar: Black Star Rising

By Thomas Knapp

**__**

Chapter Two

Jean struck a defensive fighting pose as she saw the faint outline of movement from within the object's dark interior. Then in an instant, there was a blur of movement, and the being rolled to it's feet, pointing some strange device at her. 

"Freeze." The being hissed, and Jean braced herself for a sudden blast of magic.

When no magic came, Jean took the time to analyze just what was going on, and the first thing that struck her was the person wielding the bizarre device in front of her. It was HUMAN. His hair had been cut very short, and he wore what had to have been a bulky, black outfit that made him appear a lot bigger than he probably really was. His green eyes, enhanced by his eerily pale skin, reflected tension, as if he was ready to attack at a moment's notice.

Jean let herself relax slightly, but maintained an alert state, "What was that supposed to be… some sort of spell?" She asked.

She watched as the man's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "What in the old religion are you talking about?"

Now it was Jean's turn to be confounded. She had no idea what this 'old religion' was, but it was obvious that he had no idea what she had just accused him of. "You said, 'Freeze'. I figured that it was some sort of trigger word for a magic spell."

"I meant 'Freeze' as in don't move, something you are failing to do. I'd probably just stand still, my friends say I have a slightly itchy trigger finger…" Before Jean could ask what a 'trigger finger' was, he spoke again, "Did you just say, 'magic'? Where on the hallowed fields of Arcadia did you get that?"

Jean began to open her mouth to ask where he meant by 'Arcadia', but the man in question once again interrupted her. "Never mind that now. I have two others inside here, and they need immediate medical attention. Where is the nearest hospital?"

Hospital… another foreign word. Jean was trying to piece together what she could from the words she COULD understand, which weren't that many. "What do you mean? I can't understand you!"

"You can't understand me? My men in there are hurt, and they need medical assistance ASAP."

"Medical… you mean like a healer?" Jean queried.

"Sure… whatever!" The man replied, exasperated. 

With a frustrated sigh, Jean pointed the way back to her camp, and said, "Follow me, I'll take you to our healer. Do you need help?"

The man had disappeared into the strange object again, and Jean just didn't have the immediate courage to follow. He then emerged outside again, and sighed, "No… I don't need a damn thing… they're gone."

"You mean… they died?" Jean asked.

"No, I mean they got up and walked away." The man snapped, and fortunately sarcasm was one thing she COULD understand. "Listen, maybe you can still help me… did you see any other objects in the sky earlier?"

"No… I haven't… why?"

"Because that other object you should have seen was my ticket OFF this pebble. I don't get it… there's no way that the shuttle burned up in the atmosphere, could I have been ejected that far…? Did it even land in one piece?"

"Are you talking to me?" Jean asked. "I can't understand a lot of what you are saying…"

"I'm amazed you can understand me at all…" Was his only reply, "Anyway, perhaps you can show me this healer of yours. I just had quite a trip."

"What about your friends?"

"First of all… they weren't my friends, they were mission co-members. Secondly, I can always take care of them later."

__

In the wilderness outside Gwyn's home…

Day had broken into full swing by the time Lemina and Gwyn had found their first evidence of the object that had ripped through the sky hours before. Whatever it was had ripped a long swath through the forest, leaving charred grass and blackened trees in its path.

"Ruby?" Gwyn accused, "Are you pulling pranks again?"

"Nuh uh." Ruby replied from her perch on Lemina's shoulder, "I was just as shocked as you were. This sort of thing isn't my style anyway!"

Finally, they came across where the object must have touched ground, for a long and wide trough was plowed through the earth, extending for another kilometer before they finally saw a large black object halfway buried into the ground.

As they got closer, it became obvious that this strange… thing… was not from anywhere Lemina had seen. She picked up a small black piece of metal that had been ripped from the object proper, and examined it… despite being so dark in color, it was quite reflective, and Lemina nearly blinded herself when it caught the morning sun.

The object itself was a catastrophic mess. Giant holes had been torn out of the object's shell, and Lemina could see faint outlines of metallic devices inside. Gwyn whistled as he examined the rear portion of the strange craft, where five large metallic cones still glowed red from heat.

Lemina worked her way to the front, and noticed that just above the ground line was a seam, and material that didn't appear to be the same as the rest of the craft, as she brushed the soot and debris away, she noticed it was transparent. Pushing away more dirt, Lemina nearly jumped in alarm, and she shouted out to Gwyn, "Hey, Gwyn! There's something, or someone IN THERE!"

__

Moments Later, Gwyn's house…

Fortunately Ruby offered to fly Lemina, Gwyn, and their strange visitor back to the observation tower, because just dragging the large being into the house proper was absolutely tiring for a young woman and an old man.

Once they had settled the stranger, and Gwyn went to get something for the pair to eat, Lemina took a closer look at it. It appeared that whatever the outside appearance was, it was nothing more than some sort of shell or clothing, albeit a lot bulkier than what would be normal. Whatever it was, it was humanoid, with some form of black helmet, and a black visor similar to the material found in the craft that had crashed.

Peering closer, Lemina noticed that there was a junction between the helmet and the rest of the suit proper at the neck. It took a few moments to figure out how the clasps operated, but there was a hiss of air as the connections came free. Licking her lips in anticipation, she pulled the helmet off… and shouted in alarm.

"Gwyn! This is a MAN!" Lemina yelled, and Gwyn, his hunger forgotten, rushed back to the sofa where they had deposited the visitor.

"By Althena…" Gwyn pressed his ear close to the man's mouth, and then gasped… "He's alive! He looks pretty beat up, but he's still alive!" Gwyn then pushed Lemina aside, and began working his magic with some of the healing Litanies he knew. Meanwhile Lemina and Ruby peered over Gwyn's shoulder, trying to comprehend this most recent development…

'Who is this, and where did he come from?' Lemina's mind raced. 'What was that thing he was in, and how did it get here? He's so… pale. I wonder why that is…"

Finally, Gwyn pulled away, and said, "These injuries are beyond my meager healing skills. Ruby, I need you to do me a BIG favor. I need you to go to Larpa, and find Ronfar, and then bring him back as fast as you can. Do you understand?"

"Sure thing!" Ruby said dutifully, "I'll be back in two shakes of a dragon's tail!" With that, the Red Dragon zipped out the window, and was flying at full speed towards the village of Larpa.

"I have stabilized our visitor for the moment, but if he is to fully recover, he will need the help of a much more skilled healer, and Ronfar is the only one near here that I can think of." Gwyn explained.

Lemina nodded, and said, "What was that we all saw, Gwyn? I mean, how could ANYONE have survived something like that?"

"I could not even BEGIN to fathom what all of this means. That is a question that I think only he…" Gwyn motioned to the prone black suited man, "could answer. And he won't be answering anything for a while."

Lemina turned to the window that Ruby had bolted out of moments before, and muttered, "Ronfar… for once don't have your hand in your pants, and get here fast…"

__

Meanwhile at the Gypsy Camp…

He sniffed at the bowl of food placed in front of him, uncertain as to just what was in it. At the same time, he mind raced with what had just transpired over the last few hours.

"These people don't appear to be that advanced, but how did they get here? And why can they understand me? For the most part, anyway…"

This was one of the few times that he missed his brother. No doubt his younger sibling would have the answers he was looking for. But the damn fool in question decided he was going to try and play hero…

"Taras?" A voice asked sweetly, "What's the matter, aren't you hungry?"

He looked up at the source of the voice, and replied, "I have a lot on my mind, Jean, like how I'm going to get back home to tell anyone what happened." 

"Well… I'm sure we'll think of something. I've been trying to get in contact with Lemina at Vane, but it turns out she left last night on an errand, and hasn't returned. If anybody would know anything about your dilemma, she would."

"I doubt that…" Taras muttered under his breath, then spoke louder addressing Jean, "Who is this Lemina you speak of?"

Jean smiled, as if remembering a personal memory of hers, "Lemina is an old friend, and probably the most learned scholar on Lunar."

"Well, no offense, but I highly doubt that ANYONE here on the Gray Moon, I mean, Lunar, can help me. The only chance that I have is that the shuttle we arrived in managed to survive enough that I can at least contact Mission Control."

Jean took a moment to process all that Taras had just said. He had tried to explain who he was, and where he came from, but much of it went above what she could comprehend. However, the important facts she WAS able to gather, that he had come from another moon of the Blue Star, mostly invisible to Lunar.

'The only thing he hasn't explained is WHY he came here.' Jean thought, "Perhaps he doesn't know. He himself acknowledged that he was just a soldier, serving as a bodyguard."

"So… do you know where this…" She paused a moment to think about the unusual word she was about to use, "spacecraft could have possibly crashed?"

He sighed, and replied, "My brother probably could have gone through multiple calculations of vector physics and atmospheric drag, and been able to pinpoint to the smallest angstrom where the shuttle would have came down. I, however, don't possess that sort of knowledge."

"Well, we can't just sit here doing nothing." Jean stated, "I'll keep trying to get a hold of Lemina, while YOU can clean yourself up. I'm not trying to sound mean, but you look terrible."

"You survive stabilizer failure and emergency atmospheric entry, and see how YOU look afterwards." Taras mused as he wound his way to the small bathhouse the gypsies had constructed.

"Yeah… whatever you said…" Jean laughed softly, and once the pale visitor had disappeared into the bathhouse tent, she smiled. 'He's awfully confused and bewildered, and a little pessimistic, but how would I be if I was stranded alone on a world that I had never seen before?'

Finally, Jean turned around, and strode back to the center of camp. Hopefully she'd finally contact Lemina SOMETIME this year…

__

Gwyn's Tower

"Where did you find him again?" Ronfar asked, trying to gain as much information as he could from the pair behind him.

However, it did not appear that Lemina or Gwyn was particularly forthcoming on that regard. "We aren't fully sure ourselves, that's partially why we need you to heal him!"

"All right, ALL RIGHT!" Ronfar exclaimed, "Just back off, and let me get down to business." Focusing onto his target, Ronfar began the healing process…


	3. Miscommunication

****

Lunar: Black Star Rising

By Thomas Knapp

**__**

Chapter Three

"Still nothing from Lemina?" Jean asked frustratingly, "And NO ONE knows where she went?"

The messenger from Vane shuffled nervously. He had heard all sorts of stories as to Jean's martial skill, skill he was in no hurry to test. "As far as… we can tell… she left last night, informing no one… as to where she was going… or when she would return…"

"Fine… thanks for nothing." Jean snapped, and waved the messenger away. As she prepared to scream, Taras quipped, "That was awfully unfair, getting upset at that poor man just for telling you news you didn't want to hear."

"I'm more upset at Lemina… this isn't at all like her." Jean huffed, "She had become so responsible the last couple years." Then Jean grew worried, "I just hope nothing's wrong…"

At that moment, there was movement in the brush, causing Taras to whirl quickly, his 'handgun', as Jean remembered it being called, pointed in the direction of the disturbance.

"WHOA! Easy there, killer!" A playful voice shouted, and the most individual looking man stepped out, his hands over his head, a head topped with the most intriguing brown streak through white.

"Nall!" Jean welcomed, giving the white dragon's human guise a long hug, causing Nall to actually blush. Despite the friendly exchange between Jean and the new arrival, Taras did not seem totally convinced, only lowering his weapon to a stand-by position.

Jean turned to the pale-skinned man, and hissed, "Geez, Taras, put that damn thing away before you hurt somebody!"

Finally, Taras acquiesced, and placed the small gun back into its shoulder holster. Jean sighed, and led Nall to the tall and still quite large man, even without the 'spacesuit'. "This is Taras."

"Hiya, how ya doing? I'm Nall, leader of the Dragon Kids." Nall said amiably.

Taras glared, and then said to Jean, "He's the dragon you spoke of?"

"Yes… this is just his human guise. I am afraid his real form wouldn't fit in this small clearing." Jean replied with a chuckle. "Anyway, Nall, I was wondering if you had heard anything about Lemina."

"Why, is something wrong?"

"She disappeared from the Magic Guild last night, and no one knows where she went. I was wondering if you might have any idea where…"

Nall gave Jean a disparaging look, and said defensively, "How would I know where Lemina went? I know I live close to her, but that doesn't mean that I know what she's up to at all hours. Although…" Nall's voice drifted off thoughtfully.

"Although what?" Jean asked, getting somewhat impatient.

"Now that I think about it, Ruby ran off yesterday afternoon, turns out Gwyn had called her to do something for him, although she wasn't very elaborate as to what." Nall shrugged, and added, "Maybe it had something to do with Lemina, maybe not, but it does seem like a strange coincidence."

"I'm tempted just to head to Vane right now, and wait for her to come back." Jean mused, to which Nall raised an eyebrow.

"I'm always willing to have you ride me, Jeanie-girl." His mouth turned in a suggestive smile, waiting for the innuendo to sink in.

When it did, Jean had to quickly make a decision between laughing, and planting a right hook onto Nall's nose. Finally, she did both, playfully swatting Nall on the side of his head. With a humored grin, she decided two could play those games, "Well, as long as you don't mind a three-some, we'll take you up on that offer."

__

Gwyn's Tower...

"Well, looks like our pale friend is gonna be none the worse for wear." Ronfar replied, "I'm sort of curious how he got like that in the first place, though."

"It's awfully hard to explain. We found him inside some strange object where that huge fireball this morning came down." Lemina tried to explain, but it even sounded weird to her, and she was THERE.

"No kidding…" Ronfar said, surprisingly unfazed by the news. Perhaps all his adventures had desensitized him to unusual and bizarre happenings. "Anyway… unless you have any other use for me, maybe Ruby could ship me back to Larpa. I really didn't give Mauri much warning since Ruby sounded so urgent…"

At that moment, a soft moan came from the next room, and the three rushed in to see their pale stranger pulling a gloved hand to his head.

Ronfar was the first one to him, and pushed the visitor down as he tried to sit up. "Easy there, kiddo. You've had quite a ride."

"How did I get here?" The man gasped, his eyes finally opening to scan his surroundings. "I guess my plan worked…"

"Your plan?" Gwyn asked.

"To bring the shuttle down as close to parallel to the ground so as to reduce the force of impact." He said, trying to sit up again, and pushing away Ronfar in the process. He cringed as he did so, and added, "Although it appears I wasn't as successful as I would have liked."

Ronfar turned to Lemina and Gwyn, and asked, "Do either of you know just exactly what he said?"

"Not… exactly." Lemina admitted, "I mean… SOME of it made sense."

"I'm sorry." The pale man admitted, "I tend to soar above people when I talk, making things sound more complicated than they need to be."

"All right… OUR turn to ask some questions. First of all, let's start with who the hell you are." Lemina ordered.

The visitor looked right up at Lemina, and replied, "My name is Toras, I am a doctorate of science and history on Centris, on the small moon my people call the Black Moon."

Gwyn gasped in sheer delight, "I KNEW IT! You must mean the Black Star!"

Ronfar appeared puzzled, and queried, "Whoa… okay… the Black Moon or Black Star? What is it, and WHICH is it?"

Lemina stepped in. "Gwyn had discovered some stellar object blocking the view of several stars off the horizon of the Blue Star. He figured it was another moon orbiting the Blue Star."

Toras's eyebrows raised in intrigue. "Most clever. This displays a fascinating logical process that I'm surprised your kind possess at this point."

Lemina turned in Toras direction questioningly, and he quickly explained, "Over a century ago, my people finally had telescopic devices powerful enough to examine what we call the Silver Moon closely. What we discovered was evidence of ANOTHER civilization separate from ours."

"So, why are you here?" Lemina asked, "Were you supposed to observe us?"

Toras seemed to think for a moment, then finally replied, "Yes… in a way. We were more supposed to examine this moon as a whole. You see… The Silver Moon is only visible to us every 100 years or so, and then, only for a few months. It is only during that limited window that the orbits of both moons clear the planet in a way that one is visible to the other. The rest of that time, the Blue Star is in between the two."

"Your people waited 100 YEARS to come here? Why?"

"Well, there are multiple reasons. First of all, and most importantly, we ourselves didn't have the technology to survive in the harsh realm of outer space long enough to complete such a journey until about 25 years ago. Second, we had to wait until the Blue Star was blocking the deadly solar radiation belts that usually bombard this planetary cluster."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Ronfar shouted, "Outer space, solar radiation belts, planetary clusters? Can someone tell me what hell you are saying?"

"Sorry, there I go again." Toras apologized, "I forgot that you wouldn't know many of the terms I have come to learn. Let me put it this way; we would not have survived a trip here until recently."

"Anyway, so you were to examine Lunar… any real purpose for that?" Lemina interrogated.

"You call this moon, Lunar, huh? Very well… Lunar, it is then. Well, to answer your question, Madame…"

It took Lemina a moment to realize Toras was talking to her. "Lemina." She answered hastily.

"Madame Lemina," Toras continued, "you could say scientific curiosity was the major reason. I'm sure all of you have wondered just what is out there…"

Gwyn nodded readily, and even Lemina had to admit that she had been caught star gazing every once in a while.

But Toras quickly amended, "Although, I can imagine some of my people would like to see this moon's potential for colonization."

"Colonization…" Lemina repeated, "The word SOUNDS like something I know…"

"And probably has a similar meaning, if you are thinking what I am." Toras interceeded, "To put it bluntly, the Black Moon is NOT the most suitable place for human existence. First of all, the soil of the Black Moon is over 80% Carbon, which is why it appears almost totally black, and has very little weather activity."

He took a deep breath, then said, "Because of the lack of weather, there is no active water cycle, and my people are forced to spend most of our lives underground, below the carbon sediment, and where all the water is."

"Explains why you are so pale." Lemina nodded, "You don't get very much sun."

"Exactly." Toras agreed with a nod, "Needless to say, when we saw that there was life on Lunar, no doubt someone figured that it might be a good place to move to. I would not be at all surprised if that is a secondary goal of this expedition."

"You mean, we might see an invasion force from this Black Moon?" Ronfar asked.

"INVASION would be a harsh word, and nothing will be coming here if they think I'm dead. Just so you know, what happened with my arrival here was NOT the standard operating procedure. Or should I say, it wasn't supposed to happen like that."

Gwyn and Lemina answered together, "We kinda figured."

Toras stood up slowly, gingerly working out the kinks in his body. "Anyway… how long was I unconscious?"

Gywn looked out at the position of the sun, and replied, "I'd wager a few hours…"

"Pardon? That's not possible. I could not have escaped the crash of my shuttle this well."

"Oh, you didn't." Lemina replied, "Gwyn and Ronfar here had to use a lot of healing magic to get you patched together again."

Toras appeared disconcerted for a mere second, then asked, "Healing… magic?"

"That's right." Ronfar smirked, "It took quite a bit of Althena's blessed Litanies to fix you up."

"Althena…" Toras muttered under his breath, then spoke up. "Anyway… I have one final question of you. Did anyone here happen to see any other objects in the sky last night?"

"No… just your… shuttle." Gwyn commented.

Toras nodded. It was entirely possible that the escape pod was jettisoned quite a distance from the shuttle. Just the right amount of atmospheric drag could have possibly sent it halfway across Lunar. "All right… is there any way I can find out if someone else did?"

"Certainly." Lemina replied, "Ruby, can you fly us back to Vane?"

Ruby retaliated indignantly, "HEY! I'm a dragon, not some sort of cargo ship!"

"Ruby, JUST DO IT!" Lemina shouted.

"All right… don't blow up on me!" Ruby answered, "I'll be waiting outside." With that, she disappeared out the window.

Toras was sure that he was missing a critical piece of information, but he felt it wise to point out anyway, "Umm… judging from that small creature's size, I'm not certain that it can fly us anywhere."

Ronfar chuckled, "I know Ruby don't seem like much, but she can become a lot bigger, more than enough to carry the three of you to Vane."

"The two of them, you mean." Gwyn replied, "I'm gonna stick around here, and try to secure that mess Toras made before some wild critters muck it up more. I take it you are heading back to Larpa?"

"Yeah, at least long enough to tell Mauri what's going on."

"Take my ship, then. It'll make your trip quicker."

"Thanks, old man." Ronfar nodded gratefully, and slipped out the door. 

Soon after, Lemina motioned for Toras to follow her outside, "Let's not keep Ruby waiting."

Toras followed, his mind racing with all he had learned. Both the people of Lunar and the Black Moon referred to the planet as the Blue Star. They had languages that were almost identical, their use of magic, and the name Althena.

"Could there actually be something to the old religion?" Toras thought as he approached a large, red beast that he could only assume was Ruby. Indeed, the small creature he had initially mistaken for some sort of flying feline was something quite different indeed.

"Absolutely fascinating…" Toras muttered as Ruby helped him onto her back, and then pushed upward for the flight to Vane.


	4. Mirror Image

****

Lunar: Black Star Rising

By Thomas Knapp

**__**

Chapter Four

"Well, here we are children, the wonderful not-so-floating-anymore city of Vane." Nall said as he circled around the large round outcropping of rock.

"Vane used to float?" Taras asked incredulously.

"Supposedly." Jean answered, "It fell to earth over a thousand years ago."

With a snort, Taras added, "Sounds like a myth rather than fact to me."

"Hey, just so you know, I WAS there." Nall shot back, "And it DID float. Rather admirably, I may add."

Taras decided that now was not the time to argue with the very thing keeping him from a most unwelcome meeting with the ground below. "All right, I guess I shall have to take your word on that."

"Good call. It's often not in one's best interests to call a dragon a liar." Jean chuckled, as Nall began his descent to Vane.

The three landed, and helped the pair off his back. Obviously, the sight of a large white beast was commonplace in Vane, as Taras noticed barely anyone giving the new arrivals much more than a passing glance.

"Anyway, I think we'll wait for Lemina inside the Guild. Follow me, Taras." She grabbed the pale man's wrist, and guided him to the largest building in the city, no doubt the Magic Guild Jean couldn't stop talking about.

__

Moments later…

"And here's Vane!" Lemina shouted, pointing down at the city.

"THAT'S Vane?" Toras answered, "I was expecting something more… grandiose."

Lemina huffed, slightly agitated, "Okay… so Vane has had a few setbacks… we're still rebuilding, but we are almost finished."

Toras didn't comment any farther, and then Ruby stated, "Wait… I see Nall! What's HE doing here?"

Within seconds (a few seconds too soon for her passenger's tastes), Ruby had settled down mere meters away from the White Dragon. The pair exchanged gentle nose touches, then Ruby laid down to help her riders off her back.

"Lemina!" Nall cried out, "There you are! Jean's been trying to contact you for hours!" Then Nall spotted Lemina's companion. He looked towards the guild, then back to the visitor, then to the guild again. "How did… never mind. Anyway, Jean wants to talk to you pretty badly."

"About what?" Lemina inquired.

"She's in the guild, ask her. I'm actually not too sure what she wants." Nall answered, "It probably has something to do with the man she brought with her, though."

"She brought someone with her?" Lemina exclaimed, "Well, it looks like our questions were answered for us, huh?" She took Toras by his forearm, and rushed into the guild, hunting after her friend.

"What's wrong with you Nall?" Ruby asked after noticing the White Dragon's puzzled expression.

"Nothing… just confused, that's all." He replied.

Ruby snorted, "That's nothing new. You're ALWAYS a ditz."

__

Inside the Magic Guild of Vane…

Lemina stopped at the entry room, and said to Toras, "You stay here while I find Jean." With that, Lemina darted into the various halls, looking for her friend. However, an examination of all the rooms revealed a large number of baffled students and teachers, and no Jean.

"Nall said she came in here…" Lemina muttered, "WAIT! I bet she's on the roof!"

Rushing to the top of the magic guild, sure enough was Jean, as well as…

"What is HE doing here?" Lemina gasped, then rushed to meet the pair looking down on the city below.

Taras started to turn around at the sound of footsteps, his right hand reaching for the pistol at his side, when a young blond woman suddenly grasped his right arm, pulling him back into the guild.

"I TOLD you to stay in the entry room!" The blond hissed, "You could have gotten lost! But thanks for finding Jean for me!"

Jean appeared puzzled, and quickly grabbed Taras's left arm before the pair got any farther. "Lemina, what in Althena's name are you doing? I was waiting for you so I could introduce you to my friend…"

"YOUR friend?" Lemina retorted, "You've known him for all of ten minutes at best!"

Taras meanwhile was busy trying to keep his arms from being pulled from their sockets. Finally, he pulled himself free, and turned to the blond with a glare, "Do I know you?"

Lemina pulled back, and replied, "Of course you do…"

Taras then whirled to Jean, and said to her, "Is THIS the Lemina you told me about earlier?"

Jean blinked twice, then replied, "I THINK so…"

Lemina couldn't believe the exchange occurring. How DARE he! Angered and embarrased, she stormed off the roof to think.

Taras then addressed Jean once again, "This scholar of yours is a total nut."

"I wonder if something's wrong with her. It appears she been totally out of character lately…"

Meanwhile, Lemina stormed the halls of the guild in fury. For several minutes she merely stomped around, tearing into anyone unfortunate enough to meet her in the halls. "The sheer audacity! How dare he act like he doesn't even KNOW ME! Did he think he was impressing Jean somehow?"

Finally, her attention was drawn to the main assembly hall, where she noticed her mother and Borgan addressing… HIM. Absolutely seething, Lemina stormed up to the three.

Toras turned around just in time to get a face full of Lemina's right fist. As the pale man staggered in pain, Lemina's mother, Miria, was quick to shout, "Lemina Ausa! What do you think you're doing?"

Lemina paid very little attention to her mother however, and screamed at the stunned Toras, "HOW DARE YOU HUMILIATE ME LIKE THAT! Acting like YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW ME!"

Toras appeared puzzled, and meekly queried while rubbing his jaw, "Pardon?"

"Oh, you know exactly what I'm talking about, you pale-faced swine!" Lemina hissed, "Trying to act all cool in front of Jean by pretending that I'm some nutcase!"

Toras's eyebrows furrowed, and he replied, "I beginning to wonder if there's any PRETENDING about it. I have no idea what you are referring to."

"Ten minutes ago, you were out on the roof getting all chummy with Jean! Then when I wanted to bring you back inside, you acted like you had no idea who I am!"

At that moment, Borgan decided to cut in, "Lemina… I don't know what you are talking about, but Toras here has been with us since you dropped him off in the entry of the Guild."

"Are you sure?" Lemina asked, her anger replaced with confusion upon hearing Borgan's statement, "Are you just trying to cover for him?"

Miria felt her daughter's forehead, and asked, "Are you feeling all right, dear? Borgan's telling the truth. We ran into your friend here in the entry, and we asked him to tell us about why you departed so hastily during the night."

Borgan nodded, and added, "Although we found some of his story to be… incredible, I must admit that it is fascinating. After all these centuries, establishing contact with other humans that we never knew existed!"

At that moment, Toras face lit up with dawning comprehension. "WAIT! Lemina, you said you saw ME up on the roof ten minutes ago?"

"Yes…" Lemina answered, although she was a lot less certain about that fact now.

"How do you get to the roof?" He demanded hastily.

Miria pointed out the proper path to reach the upper level of the guild, and Toras disappeared in a flash, Lemina pursuing as fast as she could in curiosity. By the time she made it to the top of the stairs, she saw Toras exchanging friendly advances with a man that could have been his mirror image.

"I see the emergency pod landed safely." One of them mentioned.

"As did the shuttle I take it." The other concluded.

"Well, there's some debate to THAT, although I did manage to survive the crash." It became clear that the one to Lemina's right was Toras with that statement, affirmed when he turned to Lemina, and said jovially, "Well, as I understand, you two already met. But just to make the introduction formal; Lemina, this is my twin brother, Taras."


	5. Perspectives

****

Lunar: Black Star Rising

By Thomas Knapp

**__**

Chapter Five

"I'm… sorry…" Lemina said softly, turning her head away from the gathering in the assembly hall.

Jean appeared shocked, and replied, "Whoa, Toras… this is an EVENT! Lemina APOLOGIZING!"

Lemina glared at her friend sourly. "Oh, come on… it's not like I've never done it before. Anyway, now that we've gotten everyone straightened out, we can get to business, right, Toras?"

The twin she was referring to looked puzzled, then replied, "I'm Taras."

Lemina pursed her lips, then said, "Okay… ANYWAY… We need to figure out just how to get you two back to your home."

Toras shook his head, and answered, "We need to find out if the communications systems in our shuttle are still intact."

"So you can contact the Black Moon and have them rescue you?" Miria queried.

"I'm… afraid that's impossible." Toras answered, "By the time a rescue mission could be launched, the Black Moon and Lunar would no longer be in the necessary alignment for travel between the two. That was one of the risks we undertook when we accepted this mission."

"Then why do you need communications?" Borgan cut in.

Finally, Taras felt comfortable contributing to the conversation, "Because we still have a mission to perform, and we intend to do it."

"Taras can continue to analyze the geological and physical status of Lunar, while I, if that is acceptable, would like to look more in depth in regards to your history and culture." Toras commented.

"That was NOT part of the mission plan." The elder twin emphasized.

"Plans change, dear brother. No doubt historical study of these people could help me understand how they got here, and why we are so compatible linguistically."

Taras glowered, and still staring banefully at his younger half asked no one in particular, "Is there some place private where Toras and I can talk?"

Miria blinked twice, processing the strange request, finally saying, "Well, you can probably go back onto the roof. I don't think anyone would be able to disturb you there."

"Thank you." Taras answered simply, then grabbed his twin by the collar, dragging him back out to the stairs leading to the roof of the Guild. Once there, he hissed, "What the hell do you think you are doing?"

"I'm trying to find the common link between the civilizations of Lunar and the Black Moon." Toras answered, waving his arm about his surroundings, "Listen to me, both civilizations refer to the primary planet as the Blue Star."

"Yeah, so?"

"I recently heard Lemina use the name 'Althena' as well."

"Yeah, so?"

Toras was sensing a developing pattern in this discussion, but forged ahead anyway. "Althena is the Goddess of the Old Religion, the supposed creator of humankind. It's obvious that the people of Lunar and the Black Moon shared a religious doctrine."

"Yeah, SO?"

With a sigh, Toras concluded, "If we shared religion, then most likely we ALSO shared a historical context. I would wager to say that we all have the same origins, just for reasons I don't understand yet, we got seperated."

"And the point of this is WHAT? Unless you forget, we already have a mission to complete!"

"And you can gather the raw data on your own, all I'm needed for is calculating the results of our observation. While you are hunting down the numbers I need, I can do some study here."

"HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND? We don't have time to be mucking around with events long past! In case you have forgotten, we have to focus on the here and now, and that here and now involves a goddamn space rock that just might obliterate us ALL!"

There was a gasp from the entrance to the roof, and Lemina stepped forward, hand over her mouth in surprise. "What did you just say?"

Toras glared at his sibling, and hissed, "Thank you, big brother. You've saved me the trouble of giving them the news lightly." He turned to Lemina, and explained, "About 40 days ago, the observation stations on the Black Moon reported a massive piece of space debris, about 5000 kilometers in size heading in this general direction. However, from the angle we resided, we couldn't get any clear calculations as to its heading and speed."

He took a deep breath, "That is the primary mission that my brother and I failed to inform you about. Using Lunar's better vantage point, we were to figure out if, when, and where the planetoid, which is a general term for such a large object, was going to strike."

"Oh…" Lemina replied, "So, what if it turns out this… thing… IS going to crash into one of the moons or the Blue Star. What do we do then?"

"There would be little we could do." Toras admitted, "We don't have the sort of ability to intercept a space object of that size. If it is coming at us, we might as well prepare for the end. If the planetoid struck one of the moons, it would totally obliterate it, and the dust and debris from the collision would most likely render the other moon totally inhabitable in a few years. And if that same planetoid hit the Blue Star, the force of the impact would drastically disrupt the delicate gravitational forces that keep the moons in orbit around the Blue Star, flinging one or both into deep space, where nothing could survive very long."

Taras cut in, saying softly, "So perhaps you can appreciate why we'd keep such a thing secret. The last thing your kind needs is a mass panic."

Lemina nodded, "Well then… I suggest we find out if there IS a problem, right?"

Taras agreed, "I suppose I shall head back to the crash site for the shuttle. I have to see if the equipment we need is even salvageable."

Jean then appeared behind Lemina, and volunteered, "I'll join you. You might need some help."

Taras then frowned at his younger sibling, and replied, "I suppose you still intend to look over the history of Lunar, huh?"

Toras returned the frown with a smile, "But of course. If I can prove my thesis, it will drastically change how we once viewed our own history. The impact would be tremendous."

"Yeah… same goes for that damn rock if it hits." Taras reminded ruefully.

At that moment, Miria called from the inside of the guild, "Lemina… Ramus is here…"

__

Outside the Guild…

"Lemina, I just came to tell you that my business will be expanding once again. At this rate, I'll be all over Lunar by the end of the year." Ramus stated.

The elderly man behind him, Ramus's grandfather, if she recalled correctly, added "Once he does that, he'll win the bet, and you'll have to marry him!"

"Grandpa…" Ramus moaned, and gave an apologetic glance at Lemina.

But the old man refused to listen, adding, "You've got a long way to go. There's NO way you'll beat Ramus. Might as well start shopping for your dress now!"

"I wouldn't be staking your claim just yet, my old man." A male voice stepped in.

Lemina nearly jumped out of her skin at hearing Toras's voice, and Ramus asked the age-old question, "Who are you?"

Toras stared down the stocky young man opposite Lemina, and replied, "I am a privately hired civil engineer. I've been examining the state of this city, and I have come to the conclusion that I can have this city repaired to full capability, short of flying anyway, in less than 30 days."

In the mass surprise of Toras's statement, Taras leaned in, and asked his brother, "Just what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Hey… don't worry about it. You just focus on getting the equipment we need together. I can handle this."

Taras watched the exchange between Ramus and Lemina as Toras explained his plans to rebuild the city of Vane, and couldn't help but think, "Little bro, I get the feeling this is one situation that doesn't WANT to be handled. You're setting yourself for a hard fall…'


	6. Lunar Mission

****

Lunar: Black Star Rising

By Thomas Knapp

**__**

Chapter Six

"Well, what have we here…?" Taras muttered as he continued to push his way through the rubble of the ruined shuttle. He picked up a small black box, complete with some torn wires and a battered reciever. "Toras SHOULD be able to fix it up, and then we will be in business."

Jean stepped over a torn piece of the shuttle's hull, and asked, "What exactly HAPPENED here?"

Taras took a deep breath, "You might not understand a lot of what happened, but try to keep up…"

__

Black Moon shuttle Explorer, the day before…

"There's Lunar, dear brother." Taras said as he pointed through the viewscreen. 

From the co-pilot's chair, Toras nodded. "I just find it… bizarre that we are coming here for this… the chance that our calculations are wrong, even with the astral perspective we had is, is so unlikely that…"

"It's called hope, little bro." Taras chided, "If there is a chance that you and the Astronomy Association were wrong, I'd like to find out, and so would everyone else when dealing with something so potentially… final."

"I suppose… and I guess it is true that we won't get a chance to explore Lunar for another hundred years. It's just that I worked so hard to be the one chosen for this mission, and it's being preempted by that planetoid."

"I know… I worked just as hard, albeit in a different way, to get where I am, and it kinda sucks that we have this to deal with this."

The cockpit rocked violently, and there were sounds of explosion from the rear engineering section. Taras jumped to his feet, nearly forgetting he was in zero gravity. "Toras, take the controls, I'll be right back."

Opening the door, he stepped into the habitat section, and then proceeded to the next door, leading to the engine room, as soon at that door slid open, he was immediately buffeted with flames. He heard a shout of warning from the crewmen manning the engine, but over the hiss of freed gases, it was hard to distinguish.

"What happened?" Taras screamed into the smoldering hell.

One of the engineers shouted back, "One of the exterior oxygen tanks exploded, and it set of the final ignition stage!"

Taras jumped into the inferno, and quickly sidestepping some falling cinders, reached the first engineer. Slinging the wounded man onto his shoulders, Taras carried the victim into the habitat section, moments later, Taras brought the other engineer to join the first.

Rejoining his brother in the cockpit, his younger twin relayed a serious problem. "The final ignition stage that was supposed to fire on our return trip suddenly went off. Unless we can correct this trajectory, we're gonna have a much quicker landing on Lunar than we anticipated."

"Yeah… that's what the engineers told me. They're in some pretty bad straights."

"All right, load them into the escape pod, then get clear as soon as you can." Toras ordered.

"What about you?" Taras asked.

"Someone has to try an correct this trajectory, and I have some ideas as to how I can manage it."

"Are you INSANE?"

"If the equipment on this shuttle gets damaged, we're pretty much screwed."

"We're pretty much screwed ANYWAY!"

Toras whirled to face his brother, "If there is ANY chance that we are going to make it back home… we need this shuttle intact, at least enough that the engineers can at least scrap together something. Right now, I am the least valuable member of this crew, and therefore the most expendable."

"I think you've flipped. I'm not leaving you on this deathtrap!"

"TARAS, GET THE ENGINEERS OUT! THAT IS AN ORDER!"

Taras flinched, remembering that the younger twin had been given command due to his necessity for the later stages of the mission. However, Toras was right. At the moment, where the new mission was to merely survive, he was the one that the crew could most afford to lose.

With that, Taras glided off to the habitat section, and called back, "You BETTER come out in one piece, little bro. I am NOT going to scrape you off the viewscreen."

In the habitat section, Taras ripped off the sealed door that led to the small escape pod. Gently nudging his wounded counterparts into the pod, Taras himself fit his way inside. He then sealed the inside pod door, and with a slight moment's hesitation, smashed the eject panel.

There was a hiss, then a sudden jolt of movement as the tiny escape pod was forced away from the wounded shuttle. As the pre-programmed computer systems of the pod kicked in, and began analyzing its current position, Taras watched the shuttle enter Lunar's atmosphere, the heat shielding starting to burst into fire.

Taras turned away from the scene, and pulled a small picture. A young looking woman held a pair of twins, ironically; Taras's own daughters, young bundles of love and energy he would never see again, barring a miracle…

__

Same shuttle, present time…

"You're right… I don't understand what went wrong, but… is there any way this can be repaired?" Jean gasped.

Taras bowed his head, "Not without the engineers that died while we were re-entering. And sadly to say, there is no one on Lunar with the knowledge to be able to take their place."

"I'm so sorry…" Jean muttered, hollow condolences, but something she felt the need to say nonetheless.

Taras shook his head, and replied, "Right now, I have to focus on finishing this mission, THEN I can get depressed." He turned to the larger boxes that contained HOPEFULLY undamaged scopes and imaging units, and motioning to them, stated, "I'm going to need your help getting these outside…"

__

Meanwhile in Vane…

"Now, if we use the pulley mechanism I outlined earlier, we will be able to get the heavy support beams that took a legion of strongmen several minutes to bring to the higher levels to the roof of the Guild library in seconds." Toras lectured, "As I said, we can do ten times the work with the manpower we have merely available."

Lemina pointed to the sketch Toras had drawn about to ask a question about a unit he had drawn up just as Toras was bringing his own hand to explain what that same unit was. Their hands met over the object, and Toras flushed in embarrasment, quickly pulling away. Lemina smiled shyly, then said, "Go ahead… I was just about to ask about that…"

Borgan and Miria watched the reaction of the pale scientist, and frowned. However, they said nothing at the moment. This was Lemina's concern; hopefully she would recognize what was happening before it got out of hand.

"This is a general wheel mechanism that we will be able to use on all of our building assemblies. Wheeling those units from place to place rather than having to build multiple units. Saves time, materials, and most importantly, money." Toras explained with a smug smile.

"I like the sound of that…" Lemina smiled. "You are confident that you can have this done in the time you've laid out."

"I see no reason why we shouldn't." Toras stated confidently, "Don't you worry about a thing, Lemina. That asshole Ramus won't be getting his blushing bride anytime soon."

Lemina stiffened. Glancing at Toras, she realized that she'd have to explain just what was going on between herself and Ramus. However, she turned her attention back to the plans Toras had laid out. This was going to take all of her concentration to pull off…


	7. Immortal Agencies

****

Lunar: Black Star Rising

By Thomas Knapp

**__**

Chapter Seven

"Whoa!" Toras yelled as he jumped out of the way of a falling brick, "You have to be careful when using that tool! We need the damaged brick out, yes, but preferably not at the expense of human life, okay?"

The apprentice magician at the top of the ladder nodded, and shyly apologized before turning back to his work. Toras shook his head then he himself turned back to the book he had been poring over.

"Hmm… once again, this one doesn't tell anything about my ancestors either. But there HAS to be something. The records on the Black Moon state quite clearly that we left the Blue Star in massive colony vessels, but the records of Lunar don't mention us at all. Most curious…"

"What have you got there?" Lemina asked, standing on her toes to peer over Toras's shoulder. He chuckled, then showed her the book in question; "Do you have any idea why your history of the Blue Star wouldn't mention the people from the Black Moon?"

Lemina shook her head, "Not a clue… perhaps your people were like the Vile Tribe of Lunar, and thus were shunned from the rest."

"That's a likely hypothesis." Toras nodded, "The number of colonists who left the Blue Star during its collapse was not large compared to those who most likely came here, but one would think our history would reflect animosity and hatred towards those who rejected us. That is clearly not the case, as the history of the Black Moon looked at Althena's tribe, which I ASSUME to be the people of Lunar, with surprising indifference."

"Well, if you want, I can step back into the Library, and try some of the other books there. So far, you've only red six of as I recall twenty different historical accounts." Before Toras could respond, Lemina was already proceeding into the construction zone.

"Be wary of falling brick!" Toras shouted out as Lemina disappeared into the Library. Turning his head back down into the book in his hand, he started walking again. Toras possessed a most incredible ability of being able to focus on multiple things at once, explaining why he had been able to dodge falling debris, and why he almost magically shuffled out of the way of a large human barreling into Vane.

Toras looked back up as the man turned in his direction, "Ramus…" Toras growled, almost threateningly.

"Ah…" Ramus replied, rubbing his hand behind his head, "Just the person I was hoping to see. Toras, I think that I need to explain something to you, do you have a minute?"

__

Inside the Guild Hall…

Ramus chose an empty classroom, and ushered Toras inside. Ramus sat down at one of the desks, and motioned for Toras to join him. When Toras declined, Ramus said, "As you may know, Lemina and I made a little bet, the conditions of which were if I lost, I'd disband my business, and if she lost, she'd have to marry me."

"That I do." Toras replied simply.

"Well… I should tell you that I like Lemina a lot…"

"So does a predator like his prey."

Ramus sighed, and once again, rubbed the back of his head, as he tried to gather the words in his mind, "The point is, I'd never hold Lemina to such a stupid condition. I don't know about her, but I would not force her to EVER do something like that. I respect her too much to make her be my wife."

"Is this coming out of your mouth because you know you're going to lose?" Toras accused.

"I suppose partly. I want to make my intentions known so that Lemina might not be so… fulfilling on my side of the wager. The other reason is that I realized just how you seemed to see me, as you put it, a predator out to get myself my prey."

Ramus stood, and addressed the pale scientist. "I don't want you to think that I'm some leach out to get a good screw. I apologize for my grandfather's actions, as no doubt they contributed to how you are acting now. That man IS lustful, and probably senile as well."

Toras's features softened, "Well, just in case, don't you think I'm gonna lay off rebuilding Vane."

Ramus laughed, and retorted, "Of course not! I wouldn't want you to anyway. Just don't count me out just yet."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

__

Outside the room…

Miria and Borgan turned away from the door, and proceeded to the assembly hall. Borgan turned to the former Premier of the Magic Guild, and asked, "I still think we shouldn't have gotten involved in this."

Miria sighed, "I called Ramus because Lemina was too focused on winning that bet to realize just how Toras was acting around her. Hopefully, we nipped this in the bud before someone got hurt."

__

Two days later…

"Hey, little bro? Where are ya?" Taras called out when he hit the entry room of the Magic Guild of Vane. After a few moments, his younger brother appeared, looking a mite bit cross.

"There are students trying to study here…" Toras hissed, "Could you TRY to keep your decibel level at just a little above ear splitting?"

"Sorry, I just wasn't sure if you were close by." Taras apologized, "Jean and I got the data you were looking for. I just hope that it gives us a positive answer."

"As do I." Toras said thoughtfully then started looking for a quiet place that he could analyze the information he had received. Finally spotting a small study hall, he slipped inside, and closed the door quietly.

"So… we shall have to wait until he's done before all of your fears can be dispelled, huh?" Jean asked softly.

"Or heightened." Taras amended. 

"As much as you speak about hope, you sure seem pretty negative."

"Merely trying to be realistic."

__

That night…

Taras closed the door to the study hall, where a rather large assembly waited eagerly for the scientist's analysis of the data that Taras and Jean had gathered. Lemina spoke up softly, "Is he almost finished?"

Taras nodded slowly, "I don't like it though. He didn't seem too happy about how the numbers were adding up. I think our worst fears are about to be affirmed."

The collective mood dropped like a boulder in water as Toras finally slid out of the study hall. Rather than depressed, he seemed somewhat puzzled, and asked his older brother, "Are you sure you gathered the data per mission orders?"

"Yes… the mechanisms used basically operated themselves." Taras replied indignantly. He may not be a doctorate in mechanics, but he knew how to follow a list of directions.

"It doesn't make any sense… this is physically impossible… I worked the data five times, with the same result. I couldn't have POSSIBLY made the same error."

"Why?"

"Well, the reason is the data you gathered from yesterday shows that the planetoid would miss this cluster. However, the data you gathered earlier today plots a different course and speed."

"Meaning?"

"Well, somehow, the planetoid is accelerating as it progresses our way, something that is simply physically impossible in the pure vacuum of space unless another force was acting upon it somehow."

Taras queried, "What could possibly be doing that?"

"That's the thing, there is no force that any mortal agency can generate capable of having such a drastic effect on such a large mass."

Lemina visibly paled at the description Toras gave, until her complexion rivaled those of the visitors from the Black Moon. "No mortal agency… Zophar…" Lemina gasped.

"Pardon, Miss Lemina?" Toras queried, not quite sure he had heard correctly.

"I can guarantee you that the planetoid you're tracking will be aimed directly at the Blue Star, Toras." Lemina said eerily, "And that if we have any chance of surviving, we have to find our way there before the planetoid does…"


	8. Return to the Blue Star

Lunar: Black Star Rising ****

Lunar: Black Star Rising

By Thomas Knapp

**__**

Chapter Eight

"Are you SURE this is going to work?" Taras asked suspiciously.

"No… but these people seem convinced that a possible answer to solve this problem lies on the Blue Star." Toras replied, continuing to edit the fuel mixture to the small engines of the escape pod. "If I work just the right mixture of fuel and air, it should be volatile enough to force the pod out of Lunar's gravitational pull."

"It might also cause the engines to detonate, and blow the whole pod to smithereens." Taras noted.

"You know, Jean's right. You ARE awfully negative for a person who lectured me on hope." Toras chuckled.

The elder twin sighed, and answered, "It's just that everything ELSE has gone wrong on this endeavor, why should there be any reason our luck will change now?"

"If you don't believe, you don't achieve."

Taras chuckled, and replied, "Okay… you win, just stop using my own words against me, okay?"

Soon, a small assembly arrived at the scene. Toras stood up, and addressed the group. "Okay… with some luck, we'll be able to reach the Blue Star in this. However, getting back will be another story…"

"That's fine." Lemina replied, "We just need to GET there. Once there, we'll be able to get back just fine. You made sure to calculate a path that will land us near that green splotch on the Blue Star's surface, right?"

"Within a 10-kilometer radius." Toras replied confidently. "There is one problem though. This pod is only designed for four people, but for us to do what I need, I'll need room, and that will limit this pod's capacity to three."

"I'm going." Lemina hissed, as if DARING anyone to challenge her claim.

"Then I'll take the third spot." Jean answered, just beating Ronfar to the punch by less than a second.

Toras looked over the rest of the assembled group, and asked, "Any problems with this party?" When no one voice any serious disapproval, he continued, "All right, then ladies, step inside, and everyone else clear the area. It's gonna get really hot around here at best, and really messy at worst."

__

Moments later…

A large burst of flame, followed by a small black object zipping into the dusk sky was in indication that things had turned out well. "There they go… I just hope that Toras lands that thing better than he did the shuttle." Taras muttered.

Miria dropped her head, then replied, "I'm glad Jean decided to go along with them. The last thing Toras needs is to be alone with Lemina for any extended period of time."

Taras turned to the magic guild's former leader, and said, "Oh… you noticed that too, huh? As far as I know, Toras has been too obsessed with his studies to really look into the opposite sex. He's in unfamiliar territory, and will probably get himself hurt."

__

Inside the pod…

Toras made one final adjustment to the fuel flow of the pod so that it would cause just enough spin to propel the small craft into the direction that they needed to enter the Blue Star properly.

"Okay… don't make too many sudden moves. We'll be in zero gravity in a few seconds, and this craft is quite small. A small jolt could have some terrible consequences." Toras stated.

Jean pointed to the straps around her waist and chest, holding her down to the chair. "Can I remove these now?"

"I wouldn't recommend it at the moment. Wait until we've cleared the atmosphere. Once we are in outer space, you can then move about."

Lemina giggled, and said, "I can't WAIT to see Lucia and Hiro again. They'll be totally beside themselves."

Toras remembered what Lemina told her about the pair in question, then interjected, "I hope you two brought something to keep you entertained."

"Why's that?" Lemina asked.

"Well, it's gonna be about four days before we reach the Blue Star."

"FOUR DAYS? What are we going to do until then?"

Toras settled back into his seat, and replied, "Well, I don't know about you two, but I'm going to do some more study with these books I liberated from the Guild Library."

Jean pursed her lips. There was not much room inside here, so it was doubtful that she'd get any training in, at least not without doing damage to the pod, and they didn't need that. Finally, she looked at Toras, and asked, "What exactly are you studying?"

"I am trying to discover the link that our people share. I am now convinced that the people of Lunar were the Tribe of Althena the Black Moon records speak of, but I'm now trying to figure what happened that caused my kind to go to Black Moon, and your kind to go to Lunar, as well as HOW you got here."

"Well, why didn't you say so?" Jean smirked. "Lemina and I can tell you all about that. After all, Lucia knew EXACTLY what happened, and she didn't really hesitate to tell us."

"Really…?" Toras said with a smile, "Go on… I do believe we have found the perfect way to kill some time before we arrive on the Blue Star. Perhaps Lucia would even have some things to add once we get there." 


	9. Lucia's Idea

Lunar: Black Star Rising ****

Lunar: Black Star Rising

By Thomas Knapp

**__**

Chapter Nine

Jean found herself immensely enjoying the heated discussion the three travelers were having, although it was Lemina and Toras who seemed to have the most facts for this debate. It was a historical argument about the relationship between the people of the Black Moon and those of Lunar when they both resided on the Blue Star.

Jean had taken Toras side in the argument, more to see if he would notice more than really agreeing with him. This drew nearly hostile glares from Lemina on occasion, and it didn't appear that Toras was even taking notice in Jean's support.

"He's totally hung up on Lemina." Jean mused to herself, "Just goes to show that even if you're a genius, you can still be an idiot."

Lemina and Jean suddenly were jostled most uncomfortably, and Toras quickly explained that they had just entered the Blue Star's atmosphere. Turning to the makeshift control console, he made the necessary corrections to slow their descent, so as to properly angle themselves to land in the pre-selected place, as well as to prevent from burning up in the Blue Star's atmosphere.

"Okay, ladies. Hang on tight, things might just get a little rough." Toras announced, then fired the retro-rockets to counteract their rapidly increasing speed, all the while keeping a pair of mental fingers crossed, hoping that the ignition of his modified fuel intake didn't cause the engines to explode, thus ending their quest all to quickly…

__

On the surface…

Hiro was not used to objects suddenly appearing in the sky of the Blue Star, so when a black, pod like device began to come closer and closer overhead, you bet the young hero was bound to take notice.

Leaving Lucia in the temple, Hiro tried to chase down the strange object in the sky, but discovered that it was simply traveling too fast for his feet to follow. As he reached the edge of the green clearing that Lucia had managed to thaw, he saw that the vessel had touched the ground, and three human figures had emerged.

Edging ever closer, he tried to discern just who the visitors could be. He didn't have to go much further, as the green hair that topped one of the people made it extremely obvious who she was.

Further examination revealed the second person, but Hiro couldn't tag the pale-faced man who accompanied them. Keeping his hand on his boomerang in case something was amiss, Hiro stepped into view.

Before he could even call out to them, Lemina and Jean had sent him sprawling to the snowy earth with a flying double tackle. "HIRO!" They shouted together, eventually giving him ample room to stand once again.

Brushing the wet snow from his clothes, he noted their companion approaching at a much less enthusiastic speed. The man started to say something, but Lemina interrupted him. "Where's Lucia? We need to talk to her right away."

"Whoa, whoa!" Hiro interceded, "How did you two get here, and why do you need to see Lucia."

Deciding to abandon any pretenses, Toras decided just to explain the situation right out. "There is a large space object approaching the Blue Star as we speak, and its impact would very likely destroy all life in this entire planetary system. Your friends seem to think that Lucia would know a way to neutralize this threat."

__

Inside the Temple of Althena…

It took a great deal of effort to keep Toras on task, since every time they turned around, he was analyzing and marveling over some etching or record found inside the temple. Fortunately, he was a reasonable person, and was eventually convinced that seeing Lucia was important if he was going to study this temple any further.

The woman in question was hunched over a small glowing ball of crystal, magical energies potent enough to be visible to the naked eye swirling all around. No doubt she was using this device to accelerate the healing of the Blue Star.

For a brief moment, she simply stared at the visitors, as if her eyes were trying to convince her brain that what she was seeing was really what was there. Finally, she pulled away from the orb she had been concentrating on, and walked up to Hiro, sliding an arm around his waist as she addressed two of her old friends.

"Lemina, Jean… what are you doing here, and how did you…"

"It would be best if I explained all that has transpired, my lady." Toras enunciated, "For the story I have to relate bodes ill for us all."

__

An hour later…

Toras finally stopped talking, his story, complete. Lucia's mouth had been slowly working its way to the ground during the incredible tale, and she muttered, "So… the Science Guild DID survive the attack on Zophar."

Toras nearly howled with delight. "So you DO know of my ancestors! That's EXACTLY what our most ancient records called themselves! We must discuss this in greater detail."

"Well, sadly… I don't know much about them, I was quite young when they severed all contact with Althena and her followers. Besides, as the rest of your tale states, there is a much more pressing concern."

"Lucia, you inherited Althena's power, didn't you?" Lemina said confidently, "Surely, it's not much of a task to deflect this little nuisance."

Lucia pulled short, then admitted gravely, "Normally… no, but I have focused so much of my power into healing the Blue Star, and I have little to spare. By the time I would have gathered Althena's power to me again, I fear it may be too late."

Lemina sagged in defeat, but Jean refused to give into despair. "Surely there is SOME option we have."

Lucia bit her lower lip, as if she was not to sure that she should say what she was about to. "There IS a possibility, but it is very unlikely that it will have the results that we hope."

"What is it?" The four listening to Lucia demanded.

"I shouldn't even have brought it up. He has been silent for thousands upon thousands of years. He sat idly by during the attacks of Zophar on Althena's children, and I cannot imagine that he would rise to our aid now."

"I don't know who you are talking about, love." Hiro urged, "But as you indicated, we have very few options. If there is a chance, however small, we MUST take it."

Lucia smiled, remembering once again how Hiro had melted her heart, "Very well, but the path could be very dangerous indeed. Hiro, show our friends to the star gate. We first must have a meeting with the Star Dragon."


	10. Into the Light

****

Lunar: Black Star Rising

By Thomas Knapp

**__**

Chapter Ten

As Hiro strode aside Lucia, he couldn't help but worry as to what they were doing. The Star Dragon had not been the most sociable of dragons… as a matter of fact, it had been the worst.

Using her pendant, Lucia activated the pathway between Lunar and the Blue Star. Without hesitation, the princess of the Blue Star stepped inside the circle of light, followed by Toras, then the slightly more uncertain trio of adventurers.

Travelling the lighted path, Hiro cringed in expectation of the angered roar that came but a second later. As if from nowhere, the Star Dragon appeared, blocking further travel.

"Why are you traveling the Star Path?" The dragon demanded, the tone not exactly used to welcome someone to tea.

Lucia was totally unfazed, "I wish to speak to your master with all due haste."

This statement gave the Star Dragon pause. Hiro was quite shocked to hear a new tone to the fifth dragon's voice… that of surprise. Much against all preconceptions, the Star Dragon stammered, "You mean… Mihall? How did you know…?"

"When I inherited Althena's power, I inherited her knowledge as well. Where is he?" Lucia said as if she wasn't talking about anything beyond common knowledge.

The others, however, were totally floored. Hiro tried to speak, but couldn't seem to get his jaw to match his lips, and thus came out, "Buh… Buh… Whut da… Who es…"

The Star Dragon suddenly spoke again, and declared, "The third diety of the Blue Star shall see you… follow me."

With that, the immense dragon turned, and Lucia was quick to take up pace. Toras was second, although he was distracted by his… most magical surroundings. Hiro, Lemina, and Jean followed, just far enough not to draw immediate attention, but close enough to keep up.

Hiro turned to Jean, and asked, "Do you know ANYTHING about this?"

Jean was flabbergasted, and retorted, "YOU'RE the one LIVING with Lucia. She didn't indicate ANYTHING about this… Mihall?"

"That is because I wish my identity to remain as secret as possible, Jean." A deep baritone resounded. Looking around, they noticed they were suddenly in a great hall lighted by two rows of glowing energy on the walls to each side.

Sitting in an ornately carved wooden chair was a thin figure dressed in a long gray robe, a crop of brown hair falling beyond his shoulders, framing a regal face with firm, square features.

"Welcome, Princess of the Blue Star, and her companions." Mihall stated firmly.

"Mihall, I know how much you dislike being disturbed, but there is a dire situation…"

"I am AWARE of what has transpired, Princess." Mihall interrupted, "I would state with all due certainty that I was the FIRST to know of the threat to the Blue Star and her moons."

"Then why have you…" Lucia began.

Once again, the god interrupted, "I have followed the path I have always taken, and that is to stay out of the affairs of humankind."

"If only Zophar followed your wisdom." Toras commented.

Mihall seemed to take note of the scientist for the first time, and said, "Most impressive… a man of the Black Moon has found his way to Lunar. Yes, if only my brother and sister had followed my lead, and left humankind to their own devices, much turmoil between us and mortals could have been avoided."

Lucia dropped her head in acknowledgement, and Hiro finally gathered the wits and courage to step into the conversation. "Your brother and sister… do you mean, Althena and… Zophar?"

"Well, we are not siblings in the mortal sense." Mihall chuckled, anticipating what the former Dragonmaster was implying. "We DO share a common origin, however. Unfortunately, the similarities between Althena, Zophar, and I end there."

The little known third diety then stood, and gazed down at Toras assuringly, "I can see the desire for knowledge in you… the kind of desire that I strove to have Althena and Zophar see. I tried to explain to them what their interference would do, but Althena was set on giving humans a guiding hand, and Zophar equally set on manipulating them."

"But didn't Althena CREATE humankind?" Lemina asked.

This caused Mihall's eyebrows to raise, and for Lucia to flush. The god smirked, and stated wryly, "At what point does Althena EVER claim to have created humans? That WAS what became implied over the course of history, something that I don't think Althena tried to dissuade. However, I am here to tell you that humankind came to be about by an agency outside of us three, even I am unsure as to what or who."

Mihall sat again, and stroked his chin, "I suppose it is due time that Althena's CHILDREN learned the truth. The truth as to how us three happened upon the Blue Star, and what our actions did to the people. This is what you've always desired to learn, correct, Toras? The history of the Blue Star, and why the people of Lunar and the Black Moon separated?"

The pale-faced scientist nodded in spite of himself, partly in awe and partly in anticipation.

"Well, I saw the events unfold first-hand. No doubt this is what your fellows on the Black Moon would call… a breakthrough of epic proportions. Perhaps you should write this down, for I will NOT repeat it."

A pad of note paper and a stylus appeared in front of Toras, who swiftly snatched the articles out of midair, and began to write just as the mysterious deity began to speak…


	11. A History Lesson

****

Lunar: Black Star Rising

By Thomas Knapp

**__**

Chapter Eleven

When Toras looked over the notes he had made, and thus compiled them into an article for publishing upon sending it to his contemporaries, he couldn't help but think that it sounded more like a religious doctrine than a historical work. However, based on all that he had seen in the last few weeks, it fit right in to the big picture…

History of the Blue Star

__

The birth of the Three Deities of the Blue Star

The immortal beings of Althena, Zophar, and Mihall were forged out of what Mihall refered to as the "Twisting Nether" (Possibly some form of astral material residue of the Big Bang) at the edges of the physical universe. Not even Mihall himself is certain if the creation of him and his divine siblings was the action of an intelligent agency, or merely the random result of a series of coincidences.

For several millions of our years, the three drifted through the expanse of space, until they came across a shining blue ball, the planet we now know as the Blue Star. It was at this point that the three, which at all times before had acted as one being, began to show drastically different traits, ambitions, and intents.

__

Humankind

Contrary to what records claim, it was NOT Althena who found the Blue Star, and created life and humankind to inhabit it. From Mihall's testimony, human beings had existed, and the Blue Star ALREADY supporting them, before the three deities had ever arrived.

Almost instantly (although Mihall gives no clear definition, instantly for an immortal could mean several generations for those merely mortal) clashes among the three began.

According to my divine source, humans seemed to grow very fond of Althena, as she was the first to make contact with the native denizens of the Blue Star. Althena forged a loving, motherlike bond with humans, arguing that with the proper guiding hand, humans could achieve a level of enlightenment rivaling that of the three deities.

Zophar took a complete 180 degrees from the position of Althena. Mihall suspects that out of jealously towards the bond Althena made with humankind, he decided that humans would NEVER reach Althena's desired goal. He wanted to rule the Blue Star through force, and to create a NEW race of humans that would never be able to challenge his absolute power.

Finally, there was Mihall, who took a stance totally separate from his two siblings. He tried to convince Althena and Zophar to leave humanity alone to pursue their own course, to achieve their own victories rather than to cater to the whims of one of the immortals.

Mihall accused his fellow deities of being AFRAID of the potential humankind possessed. Even Althena tried to inhibit humankind from what Mihall considered inevitable; not only did humans possess the potential to RIVAL the immortals, Mihall felt humankind had the ability to SURPASS what the three divine beings could achieve, but only if the deities kept themselves OUT of mortal affairs.

It was these three drastic views that would change the course of humankind, and begin the War of the Gods between Zophar and Althena.

__

The Splintering of Humans, and the Corruption of the Blue Star

With the parting of the gods, came the seperation of humankind as well. Zophar wooed humankind with promises of power and control over their fellow man, only to betray those who followed him by warping them into hideous and near-mindless monsters, then sending them to destroy the Blue Star and mold it in a manner that Zophar could control.

Most of the other humans rushed under Althena's banner, who promised them protection from Zophar's twisted schemes. Settling in the remaining lush areas of the Blue Star, Althena and her supporters steadily beat back Zophar and his minions until the monsters, and even Zophar himself, seemed to disappear from the Blue Star.

Finally, there was a small tribe of humans who rejected BOTH Althena's promises of protection, and Zophar's promises of power. This group of humans seemed curious about the third god who was showing his presence very rarely. Eventually, Mihall addressed them, and told them of how they should proceed. This was the beginning of the Science Guild of the Blue Star. The Science Guild developed their own society, that while trading freely with Althena's chosen, eschewed the repeated offers Althena made to join her fold.

Several thousands of years passed, and the defenses of Althena's people became lax. At that time, Zophar sensed the time was right for his counterattack. Luring many unsuspecting humans on the fringes of Althena's influence, Zophar rebuilt his army and attacked.

It appears that even Althena was taken off guard by Zophar's emergence back onto the scene, as she repeatedly brought her people farther and farther into retreat towards her center of influence. It was during this time that the connection between the Science Guild and Althena's chosen was broken.

A history of the people of Lunar will be included with this article, while my article will progress with the history of the Black Moon.

__

Colonization of the Black Moon

The Science Guild upon being isolated from Althena's society recognized that this was the day of reckoning they had been warned of. In Mihall's address to the original human tribe that formed their society (which Mihall reiterated was his ONLY address to them), he had warned them to be ready for when Zophar attacked once again.

They unveiled the massive project that they had undertaken, a colony ship that would take them away from the advancing minions of Zophar and the cataclysm that was sure to follow.

Two prospects were available; one was the Silver Star, which became the home of Althena's chosen. The second was a small black moon, totally invisible to the naked eye, and only discovered mere years before. Due to the position of these moons at the time of departure, the Black Moon was chosen as the site for the Science Guild to re-locate.

So, barely a month before the apocalyptic battle between Zophar and Althena that rendered the Blue Star inert for generations to come, the Science Guild left the Blue Star, settling on the Black Moon. This record coincides with the earliest records of the Black Moon, which picks up the story at this time.

"Have I told you what you wished to find, Toras?" Mihall stated simply, "If not, I apologize, but I shall take no more queries. Even this small meeting is going against all I have taught since I arrived with Althena and Zophar all those ages ago."

Mihall sat, and closed his eyes, blocking out the protests of the gathered heroes beseeching his aid. 

Finally Toras raised a hand, silencing them. "People, Mihall has a point. It was our desire to have gods work for us that led to this mess. We can't always rely on divine providence to solve our problems."

Hiro dipped his head, "I understand that… I suppose. After all, we defeated Zophar ONCE, and we can do it again!"

"That's right… it wasn't Althena who ended Zophar's bid for Lunar, it was US." Jean stated.

Lemina nodding in agreement. "We can get out of this mess somehow!"

Mihall opened one eye, and the ever slightest of smiles crossed his face. "THAT, my friends, is the attitude I had striven to instill on humanity. I have no doubt that you can thwart my brother's final desperate attempt if you put your minds to it."

Lucia, however, didn't seem totally convinced. She didn't let any expression cross her face as she addressed Hiro. "Hiro, go with the rest to the Blue Star. I shall join you shortly."

"Why… what's going on?" Hiro asked as he lead everyone out of the strange hall.

"I need to confirm a few things with Mihall about how we should progress." Lucia explained. "Just hurry and get to Lunar. Hopefully, we can figure something out."


	12. Final Gambit

Lunar: Black Star Rising ****

Lunar: Black Star Rising

By Thomas Knapp

**__**

Chapter Twelve

Jean slipped into the small room where Taras was looking over the plans that his twin bother had contrived to repair the damaged space shuttle. Toras refused to elaborate as just what he planned to do if by some off chance they could salvage the battered craft, but they began to follow the plan regardless. Better to do something at this point.

"I heard Toras worked out something…" Jean commented softly, causing Taras to turn swiftly.

The elder twin sighed, then answered, "I don't like where this is going, to be perfectly honest. I'm worried about the kid."

"Why? What's wrong with Toras?" Jean asked. Taras's worry was quickly catching, as the elder twin did not appear to grow concerned over trivial matters.

"Oh yeah… you visited your carnival buddies last night, didn't you?" When Jean nodded, "Well… last night after dinner, Toras… blurted out his affections to our Miss Lemina…"

"Oh no…" Jean gasped. She could quite clearly imagine what happened next, but requested further of the story anyway.

"Once it finally hit him that Lemina was already… closely attached, he went silent. Didn't say a thing the rest of the night. He retired to his bedroom an hour early, but it was clear he didn't sleep, for this morning he emerged with this crazy scheme."

"What's so crazy about it? Will it work?"

Taras exhaled, and replied, "Yes… it should work… what disturbs me is HOW it will work."

"Go on…"

"I don't think any of your friends realized just what this plan would require. I just figured it out myself, and now it's really too late to stop it."

"You're dodging the question."

"I know I am!" Toras hissed, "Because… we HAVE to stop that damn rock, and this is the only way we can."

"What does this plan need to have work?" Jean reiterated.

There was a long pause, as Taras appeared to be warring with himself, trying to decide whether or not to tell Jean his concerns. Finally, he sighed, "My brother's intent, if what I am gathering is correct, will be to ram the shuttle into the planetoid, deflecting it from its current course."

"How can something that small possibly sway an object as large as the one you describe?"

"There is a fission reactor on board the shuttle. It's what was used to generate the power for our trip here. No doubt one the collision is made, the plan is to… detonate the reactor."

Jean's eyebrows furrowed, "What's a… feu…shun… reactor?"

"It's a type of generator that splits heavy metals at a very small level. The resulting energy from this process is enormous." He held up an eraser from the desk he was leaning over, and stated, "A piece of uranium ore this big can generate enough destructive power to turn everything within a 50 kilometer radius of here into blackened wasteland."

"Wow…" Jean gaped, "And THAT would be enough power to deflect that rock?"

"It should be… make no mistake, it's a desperate gamble, and a lot of things could go wrong along the way… but it's our only shot."

"I guess I understand why this is so crazy." Jean commented. "I mean, if something goes wrong, and the shuttle blows up HERE…"

Taras raised a hand to stop Jean, "That's not the only reason. If the shuttle manages to make it out of Lunar's gravity, and into space, there are still other factors to be taken into account. Someone would have to pilot the shuttle into the planetoid, braving all the dangers of outer space the entire way, and then detonate the reactor."

"But… how would they… no… he couldn't POSSIBLY be thinking…"

"Toras is the only one that could make the calculations necessary for the shuttle's intercept course. He fully intends to pilot that shuttle, and kill himself in the process."

"But why?" Jean gaped, "Surely a little bit of heartache wouldn't cause Toras to go suicidal!"

Taras nodded, "I agree. I personally feel that Toras has been mulling over this plan for some time now, and these most recent events have merely helped him reach this final decision."

"But still… to get so hung up on a girl… especially Lemina…"

"You don't know Toras like I do, Jean. It's not easy realizing that your first love has gone unrequited."

"First love? Oh come on…"

"Ever since Toras was barely able to walk, he was fascinated with the stories of the gleaming silver moon in the sky. Our grandfather had been alive during the last conjunction of the moons, and Toras was simply star-struck so to speak. Toras made it his mission to be one of the first to make to the Silver Star."

Taras looked out the window into the sky, and out to the Blue Star, and the invisible moon of his birth, "Where I joined the Black Star's military, he turned to the sciences. Toras gave himself totally to the studies he needed to have to be selected for the first inter-moon mission. Where most students spent 4 hours a day in classes, my brother was in the lecture halls up to 10 hours or more."

Taras smiled somewhat at the memory that worked its way to the surface, "Hell, he became a bit of an urban legend. There are rumors that at the end of one semester, he took THREE final exams AT ONCE so that he could be in time for an astronomer's convention that evening."

"I guess the point I'm trying to make is that getting to where he is now has been his LIFE, and as smart as he is, I don't think he ever really gave much thought to what he would do when it was over. Lemina's rejection I think served to enhance his… emptiness of a future, to the point where he is finally willing to end it all."

"The damn fool… there's a lot of life left in him to live… and he better not think that once we all get wind of his plan that he's gonna get away with it." Jean snapped angrily, "Where is that moron right now? I think I better have a talk with him."

Taras looked at the ceiling blandly, then answered, "Probably on the roof. But remember this… we don't have many other options. I'm sure that if it came to sparing the people of Lunar, the Black Moon, and the Blue Star, he'd jump into that shuttle come heaven or hell."

Jean sighed, "I know… but I gotta hope that there is another option."

"As do we all…"


	13. A Hero's Departing

Lunar: Black Star Rising ****

Lunar: Black Star Rising

By Thomas Knapp

**__**

Chapter Thirteen

"All right, buddy, I think I need a word with you."

Toras tensed as he heard the voice, carrying an edge of combativeness that he wasn't sure he wanted to deal with, now or ever. Slowly turning to face Jean, he tried to be completely casual, "Have I done something to offend you, Jean?"

"Not yet…" Jean answered cryptically.

"I am unsure as to what you refer." Toras shot back.

"We know all about your plan." Jean announced, "Blowing up a reactor to nudge the object out of orbit, and committing suicide in the process."

Toras dropped his head, and replied, "It's not like I have much to live for. I might as well do this one last bit of good."

Jean put her hands on her hips, and chastised, "All over some dumb blonde…"

"If you think it's just about Lemina, you are sadly mistaken." Toras retorted, "I have made a lot of mistakes getting here, it is my responsibility to correct them as much as I can."

"And what if there are others that don't want you just throwing your life away?"

"Like who?"

Jean sighed, then leaned forward, deciding that talking wasn't doing one bit of good, putting her lips to a slightly different purpose. When she finally rolled back off her toes, she said softly, "I've been wanting to do that for a while, but you were so engrossed in Lemina…"

Jean then looked up into the pale scholar's face, trying to gauge his reaction. Instead of relief, as she had expected, he looked… depressed.

Jean was about to lash out angrily when Toras turned away, looking out into the sky towards the Blue Star. "Well, Jean… I hope you realized you haven't changed anything. You've just made what I have to do that much more difficult to accept."

"There's got to be another option…"

Toras smiled sadly, trying to comfort her, and himself, in the process. "I wish there was too. I don't know how many scenarios I've played out, all sorts of 'what-if's and 'if only's, and I have only been able to reach one conclusion. This is our best… no… make that, ONLY chance. We have to take it, no matter what the cost."

"I understand, I suppose…" Jean relented, "But are you SURE there isn't any way that you can avoid getting on that death trap?"

"There are so many intangibles involved with this attempt. Someone has to be aboard that shuttle to make any corrections that will come up, as well as time the detonation of the reactor just about perfectly. I'm the only one that can make those sort of adjustments."

Jean hated where this conversation was going. Just as she had FINALLY decided to make her move, here she was listening to Toras's final hours.

Toras chuckled, and replied, "Besides, even if I did somehow manage to escape the shuttle before it exploded on the planetoid's surface, I'd probably wish I hadn't. For the entire 8-hour trip there, AND the 8-hour trip BACK, I'll be exposed to radiation levels that could sterilize this entire moon. I'd not have long to live anyway."

"So… that's it, huh?" Jean muttered, sharing in Toras's depression, "You've made up your mind, and this is it."

"Well… there's always the chance that there will be some sort of miracle. You never know. We can always keep SOME hope." He tried to sound a lot more optimistic than he felt.

Jean wasn't sure how to pose this next question. "I… don't want you to think… well… I just thought that… this is your last night and all… or MIGHT be your last… oh, hell…" She started to chuckle in spite of herself, and she tried in vain to keep from blushing.

Toras took her hand gently, and smiled, "Are you sure this is what you want? It does seem a bit out of the blue…"

Jean pursed her lips, then stated, "You need to stop over-thinking things. Sometimes it's best just to do it…"

__

Dusk…

"Are you sure that this shuttle is spaceworthy?" Taras asked skeptically.

Toras took a deep breath, and replied, "The only thing of any concern is the cockpit. If it has enough oxygen to last 8 hours, that is the only issue of importance."

"That it does." Taras said. "But we aren't engineers… we have no idea if this is going to hold up…"

"It'll have to. We have no other option."

"Can't we wait until morning for this?"

"If we wait until morning, we won't have the proper catapult effect to match the timeframe I set. That rock has to be stopped now, or it'll never be stopped."

The elder twin frowned, and replied, "What about goodbye, huh? I'm sure that Jean…"

"Jean… already wished me farewell." Toras said, the redness on his face enhanced by his pale complexion. "I really do have to get moving, or we'll miss the window." Without any further statements, Toras stepped into the shuttle that had been prepped for the impromptu launch. The hatch closed reluctantly, and Taras examined the seals to make sure it was airtight.

At ground level almost a kilometer away, stood an assembly of some of the greatest heroes of Lunar, standing in tribute to another that was prepared to pay the ultimate price.

Ruby snorted indignantly, her little wings flapping excitedly; "He didn't even say goodbye. Talk about rude."

It was Jean who corrected the Red Dragon. "He didn't… because he doesn't want to think this is the end. He's still hoping… and so should we…"

"That's right." A high-pitched female voice added, "Never give up hope. It's very unbecoming."

Hiro whirled around instinctively, grabbing the source of the voice in a loving embrace, "Lucia! You're here!"

Lucia blinked, somewhat puzzled, "Of course I am. How could I not be?"

Hiro smirked. While Lucia's interactions with people had improved, she still had some trouble understanding simple sentiments. "I'm just glad you made it, Lucia."

"Oh." The Princess of the Blue Star quipped, "Well… I bring good news. I convinced Mihall to lend us some aid. We can eliminate the threat!"

Lucia expected a host of cheers and all-around happiness to follow that statement. Instead, she found herself staring at the wrong end of Jean's fist. Before Lucia could react to this… unexpected behavior, a blast of pain rushed through her face, stars swam about her eyes, and she crumpled to the ground.

Lucia blinked several times, and Hiro helped her to her feet as she continued to try and regain her senses. She felt blood starting to trickle out of her nose and a nagging pain over her left eye. Stunned, Lucia began to apply some healing techniques to her injured face while Hiro demanded an explanation.

However, Jean didn't need to. At that moment, Taras had reached the party's position, the safe radius from takeoff. The ground began to shake, and dust kicked up from underneath the upright shuttle. Seconds later, the craft rocketed off into the air, its burning engines starting to fade off into the dark sky.

"Oh…" Hiro commented. "That could be the problem…"


	14. Divine Intervention

Lunar: Black Star Rising ****

Lunar: Black Star Rising

By Thomas Knapp

**__**

Chapter Fourteen

Toras wiped the sweat from his brow for the third time in as many seconds. He had not been expecting the cockpit to get a hot as it had as quick as it had. But then again, the craft was running through unprotected space, without any planetary body shielding it from the sun's powerful radiation.

It was at that point that Toras took a long look at his right forearm as he made one of a multitude of adjustments to the shuttle's course. Several red and angry blisters had risen on the skin, a clear sign of radiation poisoning.

"And it's only gonna get worse, so I better get my job done ASAP." Toras muttered to himself.

Then, from behind him, a familiar baritone quipped, "Indeed, time is of the essence." With a stunned whirl, Toras tried to process the fact that Mihall was standing at the rear portion of the cockpit. 

The diety raised one of his eyebrows almost playfully, and responded to Toras's question before the scientist could ask it. "Let me assure you that I am no figment of your imagination. However, you will be but a memory in mere minutes if you do not come with me."

"Minutes?" Toras asked suspiciously. Even with the unexpected rate of radiation pouring in, it would be at least another hour before the levels become fatal.

"Yes. I happened to notice one of the seams in the door behind me was not up to snuff. It will split in short time, sending all the air into this cockpit into deep space, and you with it."

Toras cursed softly, "Then I have little time to make the corrections." With that, Toras's fingers flashed over the console controls at twice their previous speed.

Mihall stretched out his left arm, hand open, and reiterated, "Come with me now."

"But the corrections…"

"The shuttle will be taken care of. If you wish to live, you will come with me."

Toras frowned, then analyzed his situation one last time. If Mihall was correct about the seams (and there was no reason to think he wasn't), then it was very unlikely that Toras would be able to do what was needed in the time remaining.

"I see you understand the dilemma." Mihall commented wryly, "Now are you coming? You have but seconds to make up your mind."

Toras released his harness, and slowly floated away from the chair, finding that his vision was starting to blur. With due caution, Toras navigated the short distance between himself and the diety, finally grabbing Mihall's arm as he heard a cracking sound come from the rear door, and a hissing sound of air leaving the cockpit.

Less than a second later, Toras was enveloped in a pure white light, and when it died away, he recognized his new surroundings as Mihall's chamber on the Star Path. The diety in question leaned back in his ornate throne, and motioned to the side of the chamber, saying, "You can control the shuttle from there."

Toras complied, and noticed the raised object in the corner. Upon reaching it, it showed a magical display of the shuttle cockpit as well as a perfect replica of the control console he had been using.

As Toras began to tap on the console, he noted that the blisters on his arms had disappeared. This prompted Toras to turn his head ever so slightly, and ask Mihall one question, "Why?"

The third diety of the Blue Star sighed, then said, "Lucia managed to… remind me that I have a vested interest in the continued existance of humankind."

"How so?"

Mihall took a deep breath, and explained, "It has to do with when you and your friends left my hall the last time…

__

Mere days earlier…

"So… you aren't going to help us?" Lucia asked smugly.

"No." Mihall replied, "I will not interfere in the course of humankind. I will not make the same mistakes that my brethren did."

"What mistakes would that be?"

"Think about it. Althena tried to guide humanity… she's dead. Zophar tried to dominate them… he's dead. I frankly like my current existance, so I will interfere as little as possible."

"But you must not have greatly interfered before."

Mihall's eyes narrowed, and he accused, "Just what are you implying?"

Lucia laughed, and answered, "When I inherited Althena's power, I learned a great deal about what she could and could not do. There was no possible way that the history of Lunar, as you would have people believe, happened the way it did."

Mihall crossed his hands in his lap, and said, "Do continue…"

And Lucia did. "The fateful battle with Zophar all those thousands of years ago would have drained Althena almost completely. Now you would have us believe that Althena right afterwards breathed life into the then lifeless Silver Star. I know now that it could not have happened that way. She would have had no power to do so. Another power would have had to have done so on her behalf." At this point, Lucia's gaze became conspiratorial, "Only two beings could have possibly had that sort of power. Zophar no doubt was just as drained as Althena, and I also doubt that he would have done such a thing even if he wasn't. So… I wonder who could have managed such a feat on Althena's behalf, hmm?"

Mihall frowned, and he announced, "So… you have reached that conclusion. Well, I suppose you have me there. Althena gave me no end of pleas to save the people that she had gathered, and I… couldn't let those in her care suffer. It might as well have been Althena, however. It was her idea, I merely supplied the power."

"I know…" Lucia smirked triumphantly, "but it just goes to show that you HAVE interceded greatly in the course of humanity's development. To step in this time would require much less effort on your part."

"Yes… perhaps. I am aware of the plan that has been concocted. It will work… provided things go exactly right."

With that, Lucia smiled, and said, "All you need to do is make sure that everything goes exactly right, and let them take care of the rest."

__

Present day…

"That still doesn't explain why you didn't just seal the door, and let me go on my way." Toras commented.

Mihall sighed, and replied, "You have done everything that I could hope of you. What sense would it make to let you die when you would be so much more useful alive? Besides… the last thing I need is a lady like Jean trying to make my life difficult, which would no doubt happen if she knew that I could have spared you and then didn't."

Toras chuckled, remembering that new affection he felt, one that was being returned this time. "Yes, she would. I can't imagine the damage she did when she saw me take off."

Mihall laughed outright, a jovial bellow that seemed to shake the very ground with its power. "You probably don't want to know, young man. Let's just say that your lady friend took your departure with less than admirable restraint." He then added in a much gentler tone, "How much longer will you be?"

"In two hours, I will set the fusion reactor to explode, but I would like to stay until impact to ensure that everything went well."

Mihall shook his head. "I will make sure that the shuttle hits its mark. I've stepped in too deep just to watch this effort fail. Besides, I do wish to return as soon as possible before Jean works her aggressions out on another poor soul…"


	15. Parting Thoughts

Lunar: Black Star Rising ****

Lunar: Black Star Rising

By Thomas Knapp

**__**

Chapter Fifteen

Taras solemnly adjusted the communications relay to the Black Moon to the proper channel. "At this moment, the communications satellite Prometheus II has an almost perfect angle at the incoming impact." He then stared at Jean, and added, "It's probably not a good idea for you to watch this."

The dancer shook her head, and replied, "No… I think I should. Have you heard anything from the shuttle?"

"No. From his last open transmission, it appeared that radiation levels were… higher than expected. My superiors on the Black Moon also have reason to believe from readings inside the cockpit that one of the door seals I placed failed about an hour after take-off. I'm sorry…"

Jean jutted out her chin, and grit her teeth, "Then there is no reason why I shouldn't watch. The thing that most concerned me already happened."

"Wait a minute…" Lemina commented, "You are in contact with your superiors?"

Taras nodded, "We have been for weeks, ever since Jean and I salvaged the equipment from the shuttle."

"So they knew about Toras's plans?"

"My superiors admit to knowing about it before we did. Knowing what I do about some of them, I don't doubt they helped placed the lame-brained scheme into his head." The elder twin said in disgust. "Anyway, I digress… it looks like collision is about to occur."

Taras flipped a yellow switch above the large video monitor. The display activated, but only the vastness of uninterrupted space emerged. Toras frowned, then fiddled with some more controls.

"Image magnification… 700 times normal… light enhancement… maximum… there we go!" He announced triumphantly as the planetoid came into view, its alien and rocky surface finally visible. The picture wasn't terribly clear, but it was vivid enough to show its startling features. Immense crags of rock jutted out almost a kilometer out into space, and there were what appeared to be deep trenches into the depths of the planetoid. The entire rock seemed to be a mess of silvers and reddish browns, shining brightly in some places, almost devouring light in others.

Toras then pointed to a small flash of light just to the left of the planetoid, and said, "There's the shuttle. Impact should occur in… fifteen seconds."

One would think that in this situation, time would slow to a crawl, but in this case, it didn't appear to. Jean herself swore that she merely blinked once, and then she saw the impact. The small flash of light disappeared, only to be replaced by a sudden explosion of fire on the surface of the space rock. The ensuing blast was so bright that the crowd had to shield their eyes until the flash died away.

When they focused on the display again, Taras looked over at the various pieces of equipment that had been used to gather data. "Hmm… while they can't say with absolute certainty, initial reports from my superiors seem to indicate that the planetoid's course and speed HAS been altered significantly enough to avoid collision with any body in this planetary cluster."

Taras noted the lack of any jubilant celebration, but that was to be expected. This was indeed what most people would call a bittersweet victory. Only Lucia appeared at all glad, although even her happiness was tempered with concern for her comrades. His glance inevitably fell towards Jean, concern for her warring with his own grief. Surprisingly, she wasn't crying, nor did she appear to be even on the verge of such.

Slowly working his way around the group of saddened heroes, he kneeled down in front of Jean, and asked sympathetically, "You all right in there?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that question?" Jean replied, "You've lost just about everything in this trip, now you've lost your brother."

Toras smiled slightly, and replied, "I've been trained to accept loss. With what I do, it has to be almost expected. Just wait until I'm alone later tonight, and all of this has sunk in. I'll probably be bawling like a newborn then."

"Well… misery loves company, ya know?" Jean said, with a terrible attempt at a laugh. "I might just be joining you… if I can get over looking at you, that is."

Taras didn't even flinch at the comment, knowing instantly what she meant. No doubt seeing Taras, and the almost exact resemblance to his minutes-younger brother, would be hard for her for the longest time.

"Oh come on, people… we've done the impossible! You should be in much more joyous moods than this!"

Several angry glares were turned in Taras's direction, and even Taras himself was wondering if he had just said something, and not realized it. Only Jean and Lucia seemed to recognize the true source of the words just uttered.

Squealing in disbelief, Jean jumped to her feet, just missing kicking Taras in the jaw by the width of a whisker. She lunged for the man who had magically appeared behind her, arms wrapping around his neck, not at all wondering how he had got there. Those sort of questions inevitably took a back seat behind more pressing emotions…

__

Meanwhile…

Mihall leaned back into his styled chair, closing his eyes, and preparing for another long rest.

_Thank you, dear Mihall…_ A woman's voice echoed in the deity's head.

Mihall smiled ruefully, and replied, "I know for a fact you would not have given me a moment's peace had I not." 

_What will happen now?_

"Well… I do believe that I shall intercede one more time, and take the elder brother back to the Black Moon. He doesn't need to be isolated from his family, and he can help spread the necessary information to bring the people of Lunar and the Black Moon together once again."

_So… you wish to renew ties?_

"I…" Mihall stressed that pronoun, "never severed them. Outside circumstances did. There is no reason why the two factions of humanity cannot relate with each other, as they did before. No doubt they will both strive to colonize the Blue Star soon. They might as well start learning how to get along with each other now."

_What about you?_

At that question, Mihall cringed. "I don't expect that I will be pestered with any undue concerns. The number of people who know about my existence are minimal at best, and I think they are quite clear as to what constitutes a valid reason to beseech me."

_You were right, though. In my desire to enlighten humans, I merely suppressed them._

"The fault really cannot be placed on you. You learned the error of your ways… though perhaps a little on the late side."

_I thank you again._

"And you are very welcome, Althena…"


End file.
